Trees for Water®

Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India

0% remaining 255,000 Trees planted
255,000 Trees Target

Target Completed

Project Purpose

Trees for Water®

Location

The project involves plantation of trees on the community lands across 8 villages, namely, Nahargarh, Suras, Mehta Ji Ka Kheda, Chansen, Kathano ka Badiya, Kidmal, Kanti, Meno Ka Kheda, Biletha, Mediyan, Jhalra, Goga ka Khera, Itunda, Baroda, Pipliya, Ker ka Kheda, Neelwa, Gorana, Mataji ka Khera, Ragunathpura, Gopalpura, Khakhunda, Shyamgarh, Mala ka Khera, and Gulgav in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India.

Aim

Carbon Sequestration

Groundwater

Recharge

Increase in

Green Cover

Control Soil Erosion

Conservation of

Water Table

Improvement of

Wildlife Habitats

Why Trees?

The villages chosen for plantation activity face extreme water scarcity. Scanty monsoon fills up to 0.61% of the dam's capacity. As a result, the city receives less than 260 lakh litres of water daily against the demand of 513 lakh litres of water. Officials of the public health engineering department supply water via train/ferry (up to 25 lakh litres of water). The plantation of trees in this drought-prone region is expected to improve the water table. The plantation of trees will hold the water with the help of its roots, preventing them both from percolating deep into the soil as well as getting evaporated, (Victoria State Government). Trees play an important role in the hydrological cycle of the forest ecosystems. Barbara J Bond et al., in her article, ‘How Trees Influence the Hydrological Cycle in Forest Ecosystems.’ Mentions the role of trees in the forest hydrological system.

Tree Species

Neem (Azadirachta indica), Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo), Babool (Acacia nilotica), Kumtha (Acacia senegal), Kher (Acacia catechu), Chural (Holoptelea integrifolia), Karanj (Pongamia pinnata), Jangle jalebi/Kekar (Pithecellobium dulce), Imli (Tamarindus indica), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), Ronj (Acacia lecophloea).

Social Impact

Trees planted will generate employment for rural communities. The drought-tolerant local species will provide measures to tackle the consequences of drought. The trees in the desert have deep taproots that utilize deep capillary water and through transpiration maintain the moisture of the atmosphere, which in turn induces rainfall. Tree covers prevent evaporation from rivers, reservoirs, and gravitational and capillary water, thus, maintaining the groundwater table and saving water for agricultural purposes. Planting local trees will help in the sustenance of long-term benefits in Bhilwara. Upon maturity, each tree can absorb approximately 20kg of CO2 per year which is considered globally as a conservative estimate for the sequestration potential of trees.

Adoption Summary

Name of the Company	Number of Trees Adopted	Fiscal Year
Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd.	5,000	2021-22
Trent Limited	23,529	2020-21
HDFC Bank	50,000	2020-21
HDB Financial Services	25,000	2020-21
Bajaj Finance Limited	50,000	2019-20
Dhanuka Agritech Limited	20,000	2018-19
Agrawalla Timbers	25,000	2017-18
Other Contributors (Individuals)	23,000+	NA

Independent Audit for Bhilwara, Rajasthan

Bhilwara, Rajasthan

Excerpt

A total of 50,000 saplings were planted in Mediya, Goga ka Khera, Tikhi ka Badiya, and Rooppura villages of Bhilwara district in Rajasthan during 2019-20. Saplings are selected according to the ecological condition and observing the success ratio of the local species surviving there. The focus of Grow-Trees Planting Partner is to promote robust village institutions that can effectively address the degradation and low productivity of land. Grow-Trees planting partner, in few areas, has adopted the strategy of extra plantation, wherein extra saplings help to maintain the survival ratio of the local species that are planted. The success ratio of the plantation activity is 82.19%.

The planting has been carried out as per the plan and the approximate number of saplings physically verified is in agreement with the number of saplings planted (as per the report of Grow-Trees planting partner). We are of the opinion that looking to the steps taken by Grow-Trees planting partner, i.e., location of the site, encouragement to planting and positive response from the village to save the planting, the result of the activity will be affirmative.